The present invention relates generally to vehicles and, more particularly, to floor coverings for use within vehicles.
The use of promotional items has proliferated in today""s increasingly competitive marketplace, where companies are constantly seeking more effective and new ways to market their products. In the healthcare industry, physicians and other healthcare providers often receive promotional articles from vendors of healthcare-related products, such as pharmaceutical products. These promotional articles often include xe2x80x9ceverydayxe2x80x9d items, such as writing pads, calendars, containers, and pens that have promotional information (indicia) printed thereon. For example, pharmaceutical companies often provide physicians with writing pens having the name of a particular pharmaceutical product printed thereon with the hopes that the pens will help remind the physicians to prescribe the particular pharmaceutical product.
Unfortunately, because of lack of distinctiveness, many promotional articles provided to healthcare providers often become xe2x80x9clost-in-the-shufflexe2x80x9d with other promotional articles. Thus, there is a need for distinctive, more effective promotional products directed to physicians and other healthcare providers.
In view of the above discussion, promotional devices configured to removably support articles (e.g., papers, photographs, etc.) for viewing are provided. According to embodiments of the present invention, a device includes a housing and a pair of arms pivotally disposed within the housing in adjacent spaced-apart relationship. The housing includes a base portion that is configured to be supported op a surface and an upper portion that is movably secured to the base portion. The housing upper portion is movable between a distal position and a proximal position relative to the housing base portion.
The arms have upper end portions and opposite lower end portions. The upper end portions of the arms have an arcuate configuration and are configured to matingly engage when the housing upper portion is in the distal position. The lower end portions of the arms angle away from each other to facilitate engagement with the housing upper portion for causing the upper end portions of the arms to pivot away from each other. The housing upper portion is configured to engage the lower end portions of the arms such that movement of the housing upper portion to the proximal position causes the upper end portions of the arms to pivot away from each other so that an article can be placed therebetween. A spring is disposed within the housing and is configured to urge the upper end portions of the arms together so as to removably support an article placed therebetween for viewing. The housing upper portion is moved to the distal position when the upper end portions of the arms are urged together by the spring.
In operation, a user moves the housing upper portion from the distal position to the proximal position, whereby the upper end portions of the arms are separated from each other. An article such as a piece of paper, photograph, etc., is placed between the upper end portions of the arms. The user releases the housing upper portion and the spring pivotally urges the upper end portions of the arms together. Movement of the arms causes the housing upper portion to move to the distal position.
According to embodiments of the present invention, promotional indicia may be provided on one or more portions of the devices of the present invention. For example, promotional indicia may be provided on portions of the housing upper portion and/or base portion, and/or may be provided on one or more of the upper portions of the arms.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a promotional device that is configured to removably support an article for viewing includes a pair of arms configured to removably support an article for viewing placed therebetween that are entirely disposed within a housing.